1. Field
The present developments relate to the repair and/or replacement of monitoring equipment, for example, equipment for monitoring the strain on a section of underwater pipe.
2. Description of the Related Art
Gas and oil drilling is performed in many different ways, on land and at sea. In marine drilling operations, large sections of steel pipe (which are typically referred to as “risers” or “flowlines”) are connected to stretch deep into the ocean and along the seabed. The length of this piping required to reach the sea floor, motion of the platform, station, rig, or vessel the piping stretches from, ocean currents, self-weight of the piping, buoyancy, the pressure extremes, and the temperature extremes to which such piping is subjected to often result in undesirable strain, tension, and/or bending in the pipe.
The resulting bending and tension induce strains in the pipe. Unanticipated failure of such pipes can result in severe pollution and heavy economic loss. Thus, in some cases, sensors, sensor assemblies, or systems for monitoring strain in submerged pipes are coupled to the pipe in order to enable a continuous assessment of the integrity of the pipe. When a sensor needs repair or replacement, it is often desirable to remove or replace the sensor in place at or near the seabed. However, in some cases due to the extreme pressures and prohibitive costs, sending human divers to conduct the repair or replacement is not efficient or even possible. In such cases, a submarine robot, such as a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), may be required to reach the sensor assembly. However, heretofore due to, e.g., complexity in the mounting system of the sensor assembly and/or difficulty in maintaining the position of the ROV relative to the sensor, such removal, replacement, and/or repair has had little success. Accordingly, previous sensor systems have largely been non-serviceable and have relied on redundant sensors to increase the chance of continued operation in the event of a sensor failure. Such redundant sensor systems, however, can be larger in size, require additional time to install and test, and be more costly. Further, such systems yet may not provide continued operation in the event of multiple sensor failures.